6 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Lion of Venice was Made in China: : Isotopic Analyses and Stylistic Comparisons Prove it

Recent scientific studies have revealed that the famous bronze-winged lion above one of the two columns in Piazzetta San Marco, the universal symbol of Venice, may have a Chinese origin.

A recent metallurgical analysis of the bronze revealed that a significant portion originated in China in the eighth century. It traveled to Venice, where it was combined with other elements and reconstructed to conform to the winged lion’s standard iconography, a symbol of both Venice and Mark the Evangelist.

The lion of Venice originates with one of the four symbols with which the four evangelists were individually identified. Venice’s connection with the evangelist Mark entailed the lagoon city’s symbolic assumption of the Marcian lion, an element that visually identified the author of one of the four Gospels. In the original coat of arms, the lion of Venice bears between its paws the Gospel, on which, in Latin, are written the words: ‘Peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist’. A blessing that extended to the city that had chosen the apostle as its protector.

The lion with wings also symbolised power and speed. A kind of ‘feat’, that is, a figurative end, for the Serenissima, flying swiftly over the waters and attacking with the strength of a beast. In many cultures the lion is a symbol of strength, power, defence. And so in the Chinese world.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers in geology, chemistry, archaeology, and art history from the University of Padua, in collaboration with the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (Ismeo) and the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, conducted an in-depth analysis of the bronze alloy of the sculpture. This revealed the statue’s eastern origin, linking it to trade along the Silk Road.

The discovery was announced on September 11, 2024, at the opening of the international conference on Marco Polo, which is being held in Venice as part of the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of the death of the Venetian merchant traveler (Venice 1254 – 1324).

Bronze lion of Saint Marc on a column on Piazzetta San Marco in Venice

The statue was thought to have been created in Anatolia during the early Hellenistic era (4th century B.C.), based on research conducted after a restoration in the 1980s. However, a study of the lead isotopes in the metal alloy discovered they originated from mines in the lower Yangtze River basin in southeast China.

Researchers reexamined the lion’s design and found characteristic features of Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) sculptures in the head, mane, and chest. Together with new stylistic considerations, the results indicate that the colossal statue is most likely an elaborate reassembly of what was initially a zhènmùshòu (镇墓兽 “tomb guardian”) cast in the Tang period (609-907 AD).

The Zhenmushou is a “tomb guardian” or “earth spirit” from the Tang Dynasty, (618-907), in China. These burial pieces were called Ming chi or “spirit objects.” The Zhenmushou figures were meant to scare off grave robbers as well as transport the deceased to their new realm with at least the same prestige that they experienced on Earth. By the 7th century, they were typically placed in pairs, one with a human-like face, one with a lion or beast-like face.

Some of the characteristics shared by St. Mark’s lion and zhenmushou figures include wide nostrils with a moustache pointing up on each side, a wide open mouth with a pair of wide-set canines in the top jaw and more narrow-set ones on the bottom, a flat plate of teeth between them, and prominent orbital sockets with horns. The lion’s orbitals are truncated, indicating that it once had horns or antlers but had them removed to make it look more leonine. His ears also appear to be trimmed and rounded, whereas the original zhenmushou ears were higher and pointed.

The discovery raised questions about the history of the statue and its journey from China to Venice. Already present on the column when Marco Polo returned from his journey in 1295, the statue seems to have arrived in the city under mysterious circumstances, perhaps in pieces. It is speculated that the lion’s arrival may be linked to the travels of Marco’s father Nicolò and uncle Maffeo, who visited the Mongolian court in Beijing between 1264 and 1266.

University of Padova

Related Articles

Rare 6th-Century BCE Wash Basin ‘Louterion’ Discovered in Malta

11 September 2024

11 September 2024

Archaeological investigations, initiated by a proposal to build a 130-meter-long boulder revetment along the shore of Ballut ta’ Marsaxlokk to...

“Important discovery” showing that the Hittite city of Büklükale close ties with the Hurrian society

21 October 2022

21 October 2022

According to Japanese archaeologists, an ancient clay tablet discovered at the Büklükale ruins in central Turkey suggests that a little-known...

Archaeologists Reconstruct the Face of a 7th-Century Anglo-Saxon Woman Buried with “Trumpington Cross”

21 June 2023

21 June 2023

In a remarkable archaeological discovery near Cambridge, England, the face of a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon woman buried with a rare gold...

“Secret” Excavations in Luxembourg Reveal 141 Roman Gold Coins from Nine Roman Emperors

13 January 2025

13 January 2025

Archaeologists uncovered a Roman gold coin hoard of 141 Roman gold coins dating to the second half of the 4th...

Anthropologists discovered a bone in the Grotte du Renne cave in France that could indicate the presence of a previously unknown lineage of Homo sapiens

9 August 2023

9 August 2023

A bone discovered in the Grotte du Renne cave in France may represent the existence of a previously unknown lineage...

4,000-year-old War Memorial of Banat-Bazi in Syria

28 May 2021

28 May 2021

Archaeologists have identified a memorial monument built before 2300 BC in the Banat-Bazi region in Syria. Known as the “White...

An unexpected discovery in Pompeii: A Roman Tomb Reveals the Existence of an Unknown Imperial Position in Hispania

17 July 2024

17 July 2024

Work to create a functional air chamber to evacuate moisture from the underground spaces of the San Paolino building, the...

Czech scientists make “Celtic beer” using analysis of pollen from burial site

22 September 2023

22 September 2023

Czech scientists, together with a small experimental brewer, have recreated the country’s first ‘Celtic Beer’ using laboratory analysis of pollen...

The 20-million-year-old fossil of a sea creature in the ancient city of Tyana may have been used as a means of payment

22 October 2021

22 October 2021

During the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Tyana in the Kemerhisar district of Niğde, a 20-million-year-old fossil thought...

New fibula types discovered at prehistoric Kopilo graves in Bosnia

26 August 2022

26 August 2022

An archaeological dig at Kopilo, a hill settlement founded around 1300 BC about 70 miles west of Sarajevo, has discovered...

A 2,000-year-old wooden bridge that once linked England and Wales discovered

31 August 2023

31 August 2023

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Roman and Anglo-Saxon fortifications in the town of Chepstow in the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, however,...

Treasure Hunter Claims to Find First Council of Nicaea’s Location, Demands $50 Million for Discovery

26 April 2025

26 April 2025

In a startling revelation, Mustafa Uysal, a treasure hunter from Bursa, has claimed to have unearthed an underground city in...

Copious Copper Supplies Made Cyprus a Trading Center in the Bronze Age

23 March 2023

23 March 2023

Cyprus was a surprisingly busy trading hub during the early period of international trade in the Mediterranean region. Its awe-inspiring...

“Exceptionally rare” gold sword pommel given to Scottish national museums

24 October 2022

24 October 2022

An “exceptionally rare” solid gold sword pommel found by a metal detectorist near Blair Drummond, Stirling, has been acquired by...

Recent Excavations Unveil Five Remarkable Statues, Shedding Light on Perge’s Roman Heritage

12 February 2025

12 February 2025

During the excavations in the ancient city of Perge in Antalya, one of the most organized Roman cities of Anatolia,...